"Your Majesty has great talents and strategies, and he must have already given the answer in his heart! What your Majesty thinks is what I think!
"
Zhang Buyi stood respectfully beside Chang Liu, his expression was so solemn. Even when he said such flattering words, he was so upright and upright, as if he was taking an oath. His solemn expression was obvious.
Lu Lu shook his head, he was really a wise prime minister.
Liu Chang was dumbfounded by these words, "Okay, okay, since what I think is what you think, then tell me what I think?"
Zhang Buyi said without hesitation: "Your Majesty will definitely not see the barbarians being rude to the Han people, and will definitely support the Wu State to send troops. But now the officials are strongly opposed, especially Zhou Chang, who is entangled with all the officials.
I am running around to appeal, and I want to bring Ji Bu to impeach the King of Wu... Your Majesty will definitely approve the King of Wu, don't rush to fight."
"Your Majesty has expressed his opinion and is unwilling to send troops. If King Wu sends troops privately, let him use his military exploits to atone for his sins!"
Liu Chang shook his head.
"I will indeed allow King Wu to use troops, but I will not let King Wu bear this crime."
Liu Chang grinned, and Zhang Buyi hurriedly said: "I am stupid, and my wisdom is no better than your Majesty's. What your Majesty thinks is something I cannot think of!"
Lu Lu couldn't stand listening anymore.
Liu Chang's great rule liberated an old man who wanted to fight in history but was unable to do so due to the limitation of national power. During the period of Emperor Wen in history, the Han Dynasty was still on the strategic defensive with the Xiongnu, because of what Liu Heng said.
What they encountered was an unprecedented steppe empire commanded by Jizhu. The great Han Dynasty at that time was hard to describe. Liu Heng and Liu Qi had struggled for decades to accumulate enough wealth for Liu Che to fight back.
How effective was the Wenjing rule of Liu Heng and Liu Qi?
According to historical records and analysis, scholars have analyzed that the population of the early Han Dynasty was around 16 million. When Liu Che ascended the throne, the population of the Han Dynasty was approximately 38 million. By the later years of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the population of the Han Dynasty was approximately 32 million.
..After Zhaoxuan, the population of Han Dynasty exploded, once reaching 50 million.
Liu Heng's governance of Wu State over the years has also achieved great results. The prosperity of some capitals of Wu State has even exceeded the level of the Central Plains. As a backward southern region, the number of household registrations has greatly increased, the area of cultivated land has continued to increase, and the output of copper and iron has increased sharply.
, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the princes and kings did not understand how Liu Heng did it.
Many of the things that Liu Heng did seemed to be no different from what they did. Everyone was doing frivolous work and receiving little talent, and they were all polite and virtuous corporals. Why are your results so great?
It is also a light corvee and a small amount of tax. In history, Emperor Wen once canceled the land rent nationwide in 14 years and stopped collecting taxes. Many people began to refute that Emperor Wen was tax-free, but he collected taxes! If he had the guts, let him
The tax was also waived, so Emperor Wen changed the original tax of 120 coins to 40 coins.
Liu Qi once again collected the land rent that his father had abolished, but he still paid thirty to one tax per his father's request, and issued a death order. He wanted to preserve this system as a Han Dynasty, so it was considered a gift.
...Liu Qi was still raised to 120. After all, he had to fight in his time. When Liu Che came... Ahem, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's talk about his grandson. Liu Che's grandson has reduced taxes again...
What Liu Heng did was also done by other princes and kings, but the methods may be slightly different.
After all, there are many princes and kings who require others to be diligent and frugal, but they wear black coarse clothes all day long, wear shoes made of rawhide, tie their swords with leather belts, use guanpu as a mat, do not use weapons, and have no accessories, and even if their clothes are torn, they will
This is the only prince and king who has to sew and mend clothes before putting them on again.
There are many princes and kings who want to treat the people well, but he is the only one who spends his private property and part of the state's property to help the orphans, widows, old and young every year.
There are many princes and kings who treat virtuous ministers well, but there is only one who allows his ministers to eat meat while he eats vegetarian dishes.
There are many people who have light corvee and low taxes, but there is only one who is not willing to build a house for himself, directly exempt the tax, and then cut the tax by 70%.
The current development speed of the Wu State even vaguely exceeds the development speed of the Tang State. For such a person, it is a bit unworthy to be regarded as a vassal king. Moreover, he not only governs the Wu State, he also controls the South Vietnam and Minyue areas. These
The princes and states all obeyed his orders, but the people there recognized him instead of their own king. This was outrageous.
After years of development, Wu's soldiers and horses were strong, and its treasury was full of grain. Countries such as South Vietnam were also developing rapidly and their population was prosperous.
Liu Heng was not preparing to fight for the sake of reputation for expanding his territory. The south had always been short of manpower, and Liu Chang had previously received an envoy from the Great Xia Kingdom, which proved that the south could also go to Shendu. Liu Heng was ready to take further steps.
Develop the south, turn the mountains and forests here into cultivated land, turn the barbarians here into common people, build cities and ports, try to open up the connection with Shendu by water or land, and use that power to rule our country.
And Liu Chang knew that since his brother had said that he would go on an expedition, he was confident that he could easily defeat it.
With Fourth Brother's level of caution, he would never submit a letter if he was not completely sure.
But the ministers didn't think so. First, they invested a lot in Shangfang. With so much investment, the results were so little, so forget it. They continued to fight everywhere, always attacking some barren lands. After conquering it, in addition to the reputation of expanding the territory,
Besides, there is no benefit at all!
!
In that era, opening up and expanding territory was indeed a credit, but it also depended on the condition of the land.
When they attacked Shuofang and other places to contain the Xiongnu, the ministers didn't say much. Even if they attacked Hexi, they didn't say anything. After all, Hexi is a good land. It was a natural horse farm for the Han Dynasty and could also become an important cultivated land. However, the Western Region...
.The ministers could not stand it. Although some lands in the Western Region were good, the distance was so far and the population was sparse. It would take several years to go back and forth. What was the use of occupying this land?
Contact foreign trade? OK, continue to endure.
But then came the Dian Kingdom (today's Yunnan), with poor mountains and harsh rivers, and mountains everywhere. It was of no use. After the Han Dynasty captured this place, they had to pay back money every year. The taxes they gave were not enough to build roads here!
As for Mahan and Fuyu, the ministers really couldn't think of the benefits of capturing them. Mahan (today's South Korea) was okay, but Fuyu (today's Jilin, northern Liaoning) had only a few territories suitable for farming, and the rest were all bitter and cold places.
Even birds and beasts can’t survive, so what’s the big man doing here? Spending so much national power just for the sake of your good reputation to open up new territories and expand your territory???
The ministers are eager for land, but you can't disgust people with some land where birds don't poop!
The two places that Wu State is going to attack now (today's Cambodia and southern Vietnam) are even worse. They are full of mountains and forests, and there is no decent arable land. The locals are so poor that they eat dirt.
, are you fighting a war or helping the poor?? After fighting, you have to feed them and pay them back. Is it worth exchanging the lives of soldiers for this?
These are the thoughts shared by the ministers led by Zhou Chang.
All of this was considered by the ministers to be Liu Changhao's great achievement. He gave away land that he didn't even want for free, and you actually sent people to attack it?
During this court meeting, the attitude of the officials was very resolute.
Liu Chang didn't panic at all.
No matter what the officials said, they just grinned and giggled.
"Okay, what Prime Minister Zhou said makes sense!"
"Barbarians, if they don't obey discipline, just stop interacting with each other, why send out troops to conquer? A general will not use troops out of anger, and a country will not use troops out of anger. These words of Prime Minister Zhou are profound in the art of war and the essence of governing the country!"
Liu Chang flattered a few words, but Zhou Chang was very cautious. Who knows what kind of evil this guy is holding back?
Sure enough, Liu Chang quickly said: "However, I only know some ways to charge and kill the enemy. The use of troops is the responsibility of the Taiwei. I have sent the situation of Wu to the Taiwei and asked the Taiwei for help."
The lieutenant has decided. If you have any opinions, you can send someone to inform the lieutenant, and I will not pay any attention to it..."
broken!
!
Why did you forget that the emperor still has this ace in his hand!
Will Han Xin deal with these people sent by the courtiers?
Obviously not.
So can they convince Han Xin?
Obviously it's not possible.
Han Xin had a transcendent status in the temple and never interacted with the ministers, and the ministers did not dare to interact with him. No matter how you say it, this is a man who has rebelled twice. Who knows if there is a third one?
This time, Wu Zui's incident left two valuable lessons to the ministers: don't raise witches at home, and don't visit randomly when you are bored!
The meeting ended in frustration.
When Liu Chang returned to Houde Hall proudly, Zhang Busuo couldn't help but praise him.
"His Majesty!
"
"Your Majesty is wise!
As soon as you mentioned the Marquis of Huaiyin, they immediately didn't dare to speak and fell into silence. Hahaha, you are worthy of being Your Majesty!
"
Zhang Buyi gathered around Liu Chang and kept praising him.
But rarely, there was no joy on Liu Chang's face. He just frowned, as if he was deep in thought. For the first time, Zhang Buyi could not see what Liu Chang was thinking at this moment. This made Zhang Buyi
Zhang Buyi was very surprised. After following Liu Chang for so many years, Zhang Buyi could see his thoughts, his state, and his mood without even speaking. But at this moment, he could not see what His Majesty Hu was thinking.
What.
Normally, His Majesty should be proud to talk about his response?
Is there something going on that I don't know about?
"Did you hear what Zhou Chang said?"
"He called me a loner."
Liu Chang suddenly grinned, "Not only Zhou Chang, but also all the ministers don't like me now. Of course, I never liked them either... It's considered even."
Zhang Buyu said angrily: "Old dog, I'm going now..."
"Forget it, you don't have to go...everything has to be taken care of by others. If you hurt someone, who will take care of it?"
"When did Your Majesty ever care about what these old dogs said?"
"But now, it's not just one or two, but all of them... Even my teacher, he doesn't understand me... and my grandma."
"Your Majesty, don't worry about this!"
While the two were discussing, the voices of Liu Jing and others came from outside the door again.
Liu Chang gestured towards Lu Lu, wanting Lu Lu to intercept him, but after a while, Lu Lu suddenly walked in again, and said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty... Chen Hou is here... Do you...
"
Liu Chang could not see Zhou Chang, Liu Jing, or even Zhang Cang, but Chen Ping. Liu Chang nodded and allowed Chen Ping to come in.
Chen Ping didn't seem as angry as the ministers. He paid homage to Liu Chang and sat aside.
"I am already so old. I wonder if your Majesty still refuses to let me go."
"Ah?? But this time I didn't ask you to carry the burden. I also specially chose the master..."
Chen Ping said disdainfully: "These people in the court did not dare to provoke the Marquis of Huaiyin, so they thought that I was the closest to the Marquis of Huaiyin and asked me to write a letter to persuade the Marquis of Huaiyin. I refused, and they did not dare to resent the Marquis of Huaiyin. In the end, this crime was still
It fell on my head."
Hearing these words, Liu Chang, who was still depressed just now, couldn't help laughing.
He really didn't want Chen Ping to take the blame this time. He didn't expect that the blame would fall on Chen Ping in this way.
Chen Ping said: "They insist that I can convince the Marquis of Huaiyin, how can I have such ability?"
"I have never had any friendship with Marquis Huaiyin..."
Chen Ping shook his head, his face full of helplessness.
"Hahaha, Father Zhong, you don't have to worry too much. These people just have nowhere to vent their anger, so they vent their anger on you!"
Chen Ping saw that Liu Chang was in a good mood, and then he said: "I heard that Your Majesty urged Zhou Chang to reclaim farmland, and at the same time, he also wanted to attack the two traitorous kings in the south. Is that so?"
"yes."
"Your Majesty... the small country in the south doesn't know etiquette, offended the big Han, and sent troops to punish them. This is what it should be, but..."
Chen Ping pondered for a moment and said: "I heard that last year the temple ordered the Dian Kingdom to build roads, which cost a lot, and the countries in the Western Regions to build post cities also cost a lot, and the taxes paid could not make up for it.
..I can understand His Majesty’s determination to expand the territory, but can I slow down a little?”
After hearing Chen Ping's words, Liu Chang suddenly became depressed again.
"Father Zhong is also here to persuade me."
"No, I'm not here to persuade your Majesty to stop. Your Majesty doesn't have to spend money on these barbarian lands. You can increase their tax revenue and let them plant crops needed for the temple, such as tea, as your Majesty plans to introduce from Shendu.
Cotton, we can allow them to mine and serve His Majesty..."
Chen Ping's idea is very simple, that is, His Majesty treats these people too much as human beings, which makes the cost of maintaining the rule after the capture greater than the gain. It is better to use them directly as free labor...
Even if the cost of governance cannot be maintained, they cannot be allowed to take advantage of the big man. They have to squeeze out a little bit of their cost.
"Let the local princes be the main ones. The Han Dynasty will send people to supervise it. Don't bother to manage it. Let them govern themselves. The Han Dynasty will only collect taxes, suppress the prices of their crops and mineral specialties, or directly take...
"
"In this way, the ministers will not say anything more."
"As long as war is beneficial to the country, who would object?"
After hearing Chen Ping's words, Liu Chang's face showed no joy.
"In this way, these areas do not need to be governed by the Han Dynasty himself... However, these people will never become the subjects of the Han Dynasty."
"Why does Your Majesty insist on turning them into Han people? The so-called people's hearts are the people of the Central Plains. How can the Hu Di barbarians around the Central Plains be called the people?"
"Although I am a sage, I cannot treat everyone equally. It's just that...the method you mentioned can collect a lot of wealth for the Han in the short term, but in the long run, it will only be constant conflicts, wars, and hatred, and it will last forever.
They are all a foreign land and do not know the royal way. Whenever there is a change in the Central Plains, these princes you support will immediately become their own faction and no longer belong to the Han Dynasty..."
"As for my method, although the current investment is huge, it can be implemented slowly. A large number of people will migrate there, speak elegant language, use Chinese characters, and be transformed by the king. In a hundred years, they will no longer be different from the people of the Central Plains.
..”
"But all your Majesty wants is barren land... these people..."
"In the early Xia, I lived on the river bank, surrounded by barren and barren land. The merchants lived in the Central Plains, surrounded by barren land, and lived in Jiuzhou, with the northern desert and the southern water as their base. The barren land in the summer became good land in the Shang Dynasty.
Is this because of changes in the land? Is this because the Xia people cultivated these areas and developed them over hundreds of years? Was the bad soil in the Shang Dynasty turned into good soil in the Zhou Dynasty? Isn't this also only after development?
Any changes?"
"From the time when people lived in trees to today, new tools and new resources have appeared all the time. People who live in trees eat flesh and blood and look down upon wheat millet. This is because they don't know wheat millet.
Today's barren land produces a lot, but we all dismiss it, but do you know whether these barren lands will become rich and productive lands in the future? Those things that you put on the ground that you don't even care about will be in the future.
Will it become a treasure like corn?"
Chen Ping shook his head. He had no way to convince the stubborn emperor in front of him.
"There was great chaos at the end of Qin Dynasty. Now the world is prosperous and prosperous as never before. However, His Majesty's urgent orders have not been interrupted. He continues to reclaim cultivated land and continue to reduce and reduce taxes... Today's prosperous age has allowed His Majesty to gain eternal fame.
Even "literary" is not enough to describe your merits...But such eager behavior will ruin today's prosperous age and destroy your achievements!
!”
Chen Ping persuaded again, and the meaning was obvious. Your Majesty must know how to be content and not have to finish everything today.
When Liu Chang heard this, he burst out laughing.
"Do you think that what I have done is just for fame and credit?"
"Then Father Zhong thinks of me too superficially, and my fame is like dung to me!
!”
"That's not what I meant..."
Chen Ping couldn't explain it clearly at the moment, but Liu Chang had been struggling too much in recent years. He was almost everywhere, urging ministers everywhere, and issued decrees one after another. This situation made Chen Ping very worried. His Majesty was so worried.
The characteristics of such great joy are really worrying.
Liu Chang did not explain to Chen Ping. He said seriously: "Father Zhong... you should go back and rest first."
"You will understand sooner or later..."
"What a bullshit prosperous age... it's not enough, this is not enough at all!"